Perhaps the most legendary figure in the history of Arctic Cat is proudly being welcomed back and will utilize his new role of Arctic Cat brand ambassador to continue to spread his knowledge and his passion for powersports to new and existing powersports enthusiasts.
Roger Skime – a legendary engineer, designer, test rider and racing aficionado – has officially returned to the Arctic Cat team by personal invitation from the new ownership group.
The fabled inventor of the first slide-rail rear suspension and many other innovations over his illustrious 57-year career at Arctic Cat was welcomed back by company President & CEO Brad Darling.
“With his passion for snowmobiling, racing and innovation, Roger embodies the Arctic Cat spirit perhaps better than anybody on earth,” said Darling, who led a group of investors in buying the company in April. “There should never have been any gap between Roger Skime and the brand. Now that gap has officially been erased.”
Skime famously began his Arctic Cat career in 1962 when, at age 19, he stopped by the factory looking for a summer job and impressed founder Edgar Hetteen.
As employee No. 5, Skime started as a laborer but quickly moved up to an engineering position after showcasing growing technical knowledge and an unrivaled work ethic. He eventually became the VP of Engineering and had his fingerprints on pretty much every Arctic Cat development for several decades. Skime was an engineering leader, huge racing proponent and constant presence at the company until his retirement at the end of 2018.
“I’m very excited,” Skime said about both his renewed role and the new ownership of Arctic Cat. “There was a lot of concern and stress about the brand, and I was communicating with Brad every so often saying, ‘Brad, go get ahold of this thing, get it back on track.’ Now I just couldn’t be happier, because there isn’t a better guy to do that than Brad Darling.”
Roger’s role will take him places he never truly left, at racetracks, in dealerships, and on the trails, continuing to advocate for the Arctic Cat brand to which he dedicated most of his life.
About Arctic Cat Arctic Cat has been a leader in the offroad industry since 1962. Arctic Cat markets its Snowmobile, ATV and SXS products through a network of independent dealers located throughout the United States and Canada and through distributors representing dealers in Europe, South America, the Middle East, Asia and other international markets.
